Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-12-16

along the bottom lands or scale the
shaggy breasted mountains. Every
thing is hidden and almost inaccessible.
There are however many places where
vast herds of cattle can be raised and
be self-sustaining nearly the whole
year round. The problem as to this
| industry however is, after supplying
| the home demand, now very small and
| likely to increase very slowly, wha,
| can be done with the surplus?
After the mineral resources, the next
thing of present importance is the. fish.
ing industry. The supply seems to be
| inexhaustible. The myriads of salmon
are wonderful to behold. Halibut are
extremely plentiful and of tremendous
| size, quite common at 100 to $50 lbs
| each. Fishing establishments are creep
| ing in slowly, here and there at the
mouths of streams, and most of the
catching is done by natives. There is
a good profit on small investment in
| this line.
The timber is something marvellous
but its value will not be realized until
| long after our children are under the
| sod. Except this place and Juneau
| settlements are widely separated, and
to one accustomed to the hustle of q
business town the sense of isolation
| and loneliness is acutely intense.
| Climatic conditions are peculiar. Al
along the coast we have fog and almost
| incessant rain generated by the Japan
! current of the Pacific, but inland the
| rigors of winter are terrific This fact
| together with the high latitude which
| readers DAYS in winter so shirk, makes
| it very certain that for many, many
years little will be done, if ever, with
| Alaska back from the coast. However
| this Alexander Archipelago, or south
eastern Alaska las a future-destined
to come slowly but ultimately great.
The region of the Puget Sound is
very promising and, of course, destined
to develop with greater rapidity than
| Alaska. The three times have passed
| over the route from here to Tacoma
| this past summer has made me wish
| most profoundly that British Columbia
! belonged to the United States. The
lower portion of the Gulf of Georgia
is the most surprisingly beautiful
sheet of water | ever saw. OF course
| it is no comparison in sublimity tC
what one sees in this way, but it is i'm
pressiyely picturesque and attractive
IN its beauty on calm afternoon.
Victoria at the foot of the Vancou-
ver's Island is a good business and ex-
ceptionally handsome town tlanked by
some of the prettiest bights and water
ways imaginable, The Puget Sound
| is also immensely attractive in natural
| beauty. Port Townsend, the dumping
off place" from the United States to
| Alaska, is not quite up to Seattle OIL
Tacoma, but is growing place
Seattle is the best town on the Sound
lively, well started, has several good
business streets, and | think possesses
the best natural advantages. Tacoma
has the patronage of the n. Z. Ry. Co..
who are bound to make it a town if
they can. Both these places are push
ing ahead. | should not object to
passing the remainder of my days any
where in that region. The climate is
excellent and one is within the confines
of civilization. The climate here will
ever be what it is mist and rain; and
the element of luck enters too largely
into the chances of winning here, the
few will strike it, the many meet dis
appointment.
This is briefly the result of my OBJ
seryati0ns on this coast so far as | have
seen it. You must draw your own
conclusions. | do not feel like ad-
yislng. Yours truly,
4. X, DELANEY,